Changes or, What The?
by Mourning-kun
Summary: One night, when Inu's off with Kikyou, Kagome senses a weird aura. Leaving her companions, she travels to check it out, only to be pulled into a fight with a feral youkai. After that, who knows what could happen. Rating may go up later, but for now...
1. I Just Didn't Want To Know

Chapter 1 - I Just Didn't Want To Know…

Or, _When The Hanyou's Away, The Miko Will Play_

-

Kagome Higurashi was a normal girl. Well, as normal as one can get when balancing two lives, one on either side of a magical well leading 500 years into the past. That was where she was now, deep in the woods of the Sengoku Jidai hunting for little slivers of a jewel more powerful than anything the future had to offer.

She sighed in annoyance as she slipped into her sleeping bag for the night. The Shikon was almost complete, she had half and Naraku had the rest. There were only the shards that Kouga possessed and the one still in Kohaku's back. She inwardly shuddered at the thought of removing it and how Sango, the taijiya she viewed as the sister she never had would react. But none of those were the reason she sighed in annoyance. The hanyou Inuyasha had disappeared for the night once again. She didn't ask anymore, she just didn't want to know.

Of course, she already knew. She knew her incarnation Kikyou had been following them for days, looking for the perfect chance to drag the half-inu to hell. But she pretended not to notice when Inuyasha was more demanding of her, when he berated her for not sensing anymore shards, and even when he called her Kikyou in the heat of battle. It hurt, deep inside, when she understood, so she just didn't want to know.

During the four years she had spent traveling between the two times, she had improved her miko abilities through necessity, though she was still nowhere near as good as Kikyou. Or so the hanyou claimed. She wore her uniform still after all this time, to remind herself that she did not belong here and to show others, a certain hanyou especially, that she was not to be mistaken for the undead miko. Shaking her head of thoughts of him, she spread her senses out and caught the auras of six beings. 'Six? Who else..?' She almost convinced herself that she still didn't want to know, but her curiosity got the better or her.

She knew five of the auras; the monk and taijiya across the fire from her, talking, the kitsune in her arms sleeping, and the hanyou and undead priestess in the woods not very far away doing whatever it was that she didn't want to know. The last though… It shifted and twisted, causing her to stand and set Shippou down gently on her sleeping bag. She had to know what it was now. Gathering her bow and arrows, as well as a few medical supplies in case she needed them, Kagome slipped away from camp.

Her trek led her into the forest they had camped at the edge of, though she noted dimly that she was traveling away from the two lovers who had also retreated beneath the tree cover. She closed her senses off to everything else as she neared the last, unfamiliar aura. Almost as sudden as the forest began, it stopped. Pausing at the edge of the trees, she furrowed her brow in confusion. Inuyasha had told her there were no lakes or hot springs around when she had asked to take a bath that night, and yet, here was a beautiful, if a little small, lake. With no one else around. 'What the..?' Switching her senses on full again, she scanned the immediate area. The aura persisted; she was in the right place.

Stepping cautiously from the cover of trees, she made her way slowly towards the moonlit body of water in the middle of the clearing. When she reached the rocky bank, she set her medical supplies down carefully, keeping her bow and quiver at the ready. Standing back a little from the edge of the pool, she walked its circumference warily, her senses set on 'paranoid.' When she had made a full circle, she sat beside her things and slipped her shoes off, dipping her feet in the pleasantly cool waters. As she did, two things happened: the unfamiliar aura flared angrily, causing her to draw back her senses abruptly from the force and stand at the edge of the pool again, and a young girl came stumbling out of the woods on the other side of the pool, carrying a ragged teddy bear and looking as if she were running for her life. 'Which could very well be true, here,' Kagome thought sourly.

Thrusting her senses out from herself again, sighing mentally at how tired she would be in the morning, she hissed as she came in contact with three new auras. One was, of course, the little girl who had spotted her and was currently stumbling around the rocky bank to seek her protection. _Trusting little thing, isn't she_, a voice murmured in her mind.

'That would be the one that started this mess, then.' To her credit, she wasn't startled at the intrusion into her mind. The stranger whose aura had led her here in the first place continued his soft-spoken, joking tirade, _I bet she thinks you can protect her, hm? Thinks that you'll save her from those that chase her. Thinks that you can kill the demons after her. I don't think you can, but we'll see soon._

"Who are you?" she fairly growled at the disembodied thought-voice.

_No one of consequence, yet. If you can prove to me you are strong and willing, I will show myself to you. Otherwise…_

He left the thought there, dangling. She knew what would happen if she could not defeat the youkai that chased the poor girl now shivering behind her legs. Keeping tabs on the three still out there, she turned to kneel beside the shaking girl seeking her protection. "Hey there sweetie… Who's chasing you? Where are your parents?"

The girl raised large violet eyes, flecks of green shining in their depths, to Kagome's own blue-grey orbs. "The big monster's not chasing me, miko-sama. He's chasing Beni-sama!" The girl lifted her stuffed bear so that Kagome could see it better and, faintly, she could detect a Shikon shard embedded deep in the stuffing of its brain. "He said he wanted to eat Beni-sama and that I shouldn't try to stop him!"

Kagome blinked as she processed the information. _Don't drop your guard, miko-san_, the unknown voice spoke in her head. Baring her teeth, the miko half-turned, hiding the girl behind her as she placed a barrier a few feet away, surrounding herself and the small ningen. Something in her heart clenched briefly as she saw the feral inu bound from the trees surrounding their peaceful clearing. Turning back to the child, she smiled briefly and ran a gentle hand through the girl's shoulder-length mocha locks. "Stay here while I take care of the mean doggie, ok?"

A smile lit across the young one's face and she watched patiently as Kagome carefully placed a strong shield around the child alone. Smiling back, though it was tinged slightly with sadness, the miko picked up her bow and arrows from where she had left them, and turned herself to fully face the horse-sized, lesser inuyokai pounding against her outer barrier. Notching an arrow to her bow, she stepped away from the child behind her and dropped the first defense.

She released the arrow, and it flew straight and true. The inu dodged, however, and the pink and white comet merely pierced his left flank. The huge dog didn't flinch, but skidded to a stop a few feet from the raven-haired girl, lunging again almost immediately. Fumbling with her arrows, Kagome dodged the inu's attacks as best as she could until, stepping back, she tripped and fell on her back. Panicking as a large paw, complete with claws, swiped down at her, she rolled to the side. 'Not fast enough,' she hissed at herself, the claws catching some of fabric of her uniform top and ripping through the strap of her quiver, scattering the arrows about the small field.

Continuing her roll until she was as far away from the youkai as she dared to be without risking its attention being drawn to the child, she stood on shaky legs and looked around for anything else she could use for a weapon. Glancing at her hands, an idea manifested itself. The riser of her bow had snapped, leaving her with the two limbs attached only by the braided sinew of the bowstring. Smiling slightly to herself, ever mindful of the feral dog demon that was beginning to circle her threateningly, she unstrung one of the limbs of the bow. Now she was left with a make-shift whip and a piece of wood nearly the correct size for a wakizashi blade.

She stepped to the side, confidence returned, as the demon lunged at her again. Flicking her wrist, she sent her waning powers along the whip as it lashed into the side of the enraged youkai. The inu howled in pain and Kagome had to fight the smirk threatening to surface. Much more confidant, she nimbly side-stepped another attack, striking out with the wooden blade in her hand and slicing deep into her opponent's foreleg. It stumbled and she followed quickly with her bowstring, energy crackling along its length as she snapped it again. She did smirk this time as she saw the sinew had purified a large chunk of the demon's flank and back leg.

Realization dawned suddenly and she faltered. 'I'm…enjoying this? But, why?'

Her pause was all the inu needed and it lunged as she spaced out. Kagome's return to reality was painful as the heavily bleeding dog demon bit down on her dominant shoulder. Gasping in the sudden flood of pain, she focused on the red eyes staring back at her. Snarling back at the youkai, she raised her other arm and swung down viciously in the instinct to preserve herself. Unconsciously, she flooded the wooden bow-limb in her fist with her miko powers, ramming the makeshift weapon between her opponent's eyes and driving it deep into its skull. The inuyoukai had no time to even howl in pain. The weapon had done its job, and the purifying wave that accompanied it had only served to disintegrate the corpse.

Collapsing to her knees, Kagome's blue-grey eyes took in the clearing, seeing the girl still safe inside her barrier. The ghost of a smile crossed her face as her eyes dulled slightly and she fell to the ground, landing on her uninjured side. Softly, her voice carrying on the wind, she spoke to the mysterious other still lingering, "I'm sorry I wasn't… strong enough to… get to meet you…"

Her gaze darkened more and she shifted it to the girl again, smiling to reassure the child who had begun to cry. Something stepped into her line of sight, and she tried feebly to raise her head. The last thing she saw before the darkness overcame her vision was a man kneeling at her side, his pale countenance framed by black hair and set with hauntingly white eyes.


	2. Everything Is Okay, But

Chapter 2 - Everything Is Okay, But...  
Or, _Feeling Like Death Warmed Over_

-

'The miko certainly did a good job,' Sakiiki mused to himself. Turning to the water, which had started to ripple in a non-existent breeze, he chuckled. "You can come out now, Kiou."

The pool rippled again and shrank into itself, the water rising up to form into the image of a man. This one was darkly tanned, as though he had spent his whole life laying about the Southern beaches. His hair was a deep shade of blue and his eyes a deep, diffused green. Smiling mischievously, he waited for his elegant robes to form from the remaining water before stepping towards his brother and the prone form of Kagome.

Both looked down at the still form, her powers healing their host as best they could while she was unaware. They turned as one to the child weeping behind them. "She did it, aniki. She beat me," Kiou murmured. Saki nodded his assent and turned his gaze back to Kagome.

The girl looked up as she heard voices and saw the two standing over the fainted miko. Crying harder, she beat against the inside of the shield to try and reach her savior. A hand lowered through the pink barrier to settle on the girl's head. A soft voice accompanied the hand and the ningen calmed immediately. "The miko is fine, child. She will no doubt wish to see you when she wakes, but for now, we must return her to her camp. We will leave you to watch over her, yes?"

The little brown-haired girl looked up into the caring orange eyes of the black-haired older woman who stood above her. As she nodded once, Kagome's barrier fell away and the energy rushed back to its mistress to aid in her recovery. "Genze," Kiou began as he stepped towards the two, but was silenced as the woman knelt before the child once more.

"What is your name, child?"

The little girl grinned suddenly. "My name is Soshina! What's your name?"

Genze shook her head, raising the girl's chin to stare into the wide eyes fixed back on her. "It doesn't matter now, child. You must forget your parents and your name if you are to help the miko. I will tell you all you need to know, but you must stay by her side no matter what, okay?"

The little girl nodded enthusiastically, smiling up at the beautiful woman kneeled before her. The woman smiled briefly in return and placed one pale hand over the child's eyes. A pale peach glow surrounded them, disappearing as soon as it appeared. When Genze removed her hand, the girl opened troubled eyes. Before she could open her mouth to speak, Genze stood and Kiou kneeled in her place. Smiling faintly at the child, he mimicked his sister's gesture, and soon a pale blue glow surrounded them for a short time.

When he finished, Kiou stood again and stared down at the ningen child. The girl opened large violet eyes and immediately turned to go towards Kagome's prone form. A hand on her shoulder stopped her. She looked up at the blue-haired man with a question forming silently on her lips. He shook his head in return. "Aniki's takin' good care of 'er. There's no need fer ya to worry, Atai."

The girl, now named Atai, smiled brilliantly up at him and nodded. Her need for speech seemed to be gone, now that she had received her gifts from two of the three wise siblings. Sakiiki stood from where he knelt by the priestess and turned to the others. "This makes a few things clearer, but not a lot. I have seen her before, in the visions, but they are of a time far ahead of this. She confuses things, but also makes them clearer."

Kiou scoffed at his brother and stalked up to him, poking the older entity in the chest with an indignant finger. "Just 'cuz ya get visions an' all that doesn't mean ya gotta be mysterious about 'em!"

Saki only smiled down at his oto and shrugged lithe shoulders. Behind him, Kagome began to stir. Kiou peered around the black-haired man to see what she was doing. He raised an eyebrow as he saw her clasp something that glowed a faint pink at her throat. His eyes widened in realization. Turning back to Sakiiki, he neglected to blink, as if the movement would hinder his processing the knowledge faster.

"She's the Shikon's protectress? No wonder she beat my little inu."

Saki gave his younger brother a disapproving look and turned to Genze, who still stood across the clearing with the child. "We should return her to camp now, before the hanyou comes to his senses and finds her missing."

Kiou scoffed as his older sister moved forward, Atai trailing behind. "It's not like he really cares… he's just gonna turn out like everyone else who wanted that damned thing before."

The older female smiled faintly at her ototo's words and patted him on the shoulder, moving past both brothers to gently lift the miko from the ground. Atai still trailed silently after Genze, clutching her Beni-sama to her chest protectively. Turning to gaze behind herself at the place her savior had rested, she saw Kiou and Sakiiki talking quietly. After a moment, the elder smiled and slipped a black blindfold over his ghostly white eyes and faded into the forest surrounding them. Kiou shook his head slowly and glanced over at her, smiling faintly before fading away into the forest as well.

Shivering slightly in a sudden wind, she turned back towards Genze and hurried to catch up to the woman who carried Kagome.

-

'Morning..?' Kagome shielded her eyes from the bright light that signified the sun was above her. 'No, midday. What happened? Why didn't anyone…'

"The child!" Kagome sat up straight in her sleeping bag, wincing and hissing as she stretched still-healing wounds. Ignoring them for the moment, she looked around at the campsite frantically. Seeing who she was looking for, she relaxed a bit and smiled at the girl who had stood from her place by the fire. Atai smiled back as she sat again, and Kagome cast her blue-grey gaze over the rest of the camp, silently taking stock of who was present.

Slowly standing, Kagome noticed she'd been dressed in her spare uniform. Making her way to the fire in the middle of the camp, she sat beside Atai, absently stroking the girl's hair when she cuddled protectively closer to the miko. After a moment, she voiced what was expected of her by her other companions. "Where's Inuyasha?"

Miroku and Shippou both looked up at her suddenly, as if startled to find her up and about. Sango just shook her head, being a girl left her privy to Kagome's slight change of heart. Miroku, however, answered. "He never came back last night, Kagome-sama. You were both missing when we went to sleep. We had assumed, incorrectly, I suppose, that you had gone after him."

Shippou spoke up, breaking from his daze to hop into Kagome's lap as he did so. "I woke up before them, and you still weren't back, but then this tall lady came into camp carrying you and she," he gestured to Atai, who looked at him briefly with her wide violet orbs, "was walking behind looking cold."

Here he paused to puff out his chest in pride at what the miko could only assume he would tell her next. Smiling down at him, she waited for him to continue. The little kitsune did soon, pride in his voice, laced beneath with a question of whether she would approve. "When the lady came, she put you down in your sleeping bag and told something to her," he waved a little clawed hand in Atai's direction again, relaxing back into Kagome's lap, "and left. But she was still looking cold, so I told her to come and sleep in the sleeping bag with us."

Both children looked up at Kagome with their adoring eyes and she beamed back at them. "You two are just so precious. You did very well, Shippou-chan and-" she paused, taken aback a moment by the fact she still didn't know the child's name, then smiled again. "What's your name, little one? I can't just call you 'girl', can I?" She tapped the human child on the nose affectionately, as she had done to Shippou so many times before.

The child smiled, bearing her little white teeth to the miko. "My name is Atai."

"Ah, what an unusual name. But it suits you." Kagome looked around for a moment, then looked back at the little mocha-haired girl at her side. "Ne, Atai-chan, where's your Beni-sama?"

Her back stiffened as a gruff voice came from behind her. "Who asks of the great Benishi-sama?"


	3. Weapons In Hand As We

Chapter 3 - Weapons In Hand As We…  
_Or, You Call **That** A Youkai? _

"Who asks of the great Benishi-sama?"

Sango and Miroku looked up from their conversation sharply, weapons at the ready. Silently, Miroku cursed his inattentiveness. 'Well, it's not like I had a bad distraction…' He glanced at the taijiya by his side briefly before standing to get a better look at the youkai behind Kagome. Catching a glimpse, he blinked a few times, then burst out laughing.

Sango, who had also stood, glanced at him, and the back towards the demon. She too blinked once or twice, then set Hiraikotsu back on the ground so that she didn't drop it as she collapsed into laughter as well. Kagome glared at the both of them, back still stiff with the tingling sensation that came with having a youkai around. 'Let's see what this youkai looks like then.'

Still glaring at her two adult companions, she stood, holding Shippou close to her chest while keeping a hand on Atai's brown head. Slowly turning around, she blinked. There was no one there. A cough from near the ground caught her attention and she looked down. There, standing on two worn and torn legs with both stuffed paws on his hips, was Atai's teddy bear.

He was badly ripped up and his dried herb stuffing was leaking all over the ground, though he tried to still look intimidating. She couldn't help but smile and kneel back down in front of him. "Benishi-sama?"

He lifted his cute stuffed chin so arrogantly that Kagome giggled, holding out a hand. "It's nice to meet you, but why didn't you say anything when we met before?"

He scoffed at her, the expression of disdain so amusing on his face that she had to hold back another giggle. "Anyone who's anyone knows not to mess with inus, feral or no! Speaking would have drawn its attention to me and my ward."

"Your ward?"

"I believe she has been named Atai, now. She sits beside you."

Kagome nodded and allowed Shippou to climb up onto her shoulder as she walked over to her backpack and fished out her sewing kit as well as some sweet smelling herbs she had collected on her journey. She usually reserved them for stitching and healing wounds, and, in her eyes anyway, the youkai's 'wounds' could use a little surgery. She returned to her place by the failing fire, Shippou hopping from her shoulder to gather more fuel without having to be told. Atai stood and accompanied him, though never strayed from Kagome's sight.

Sitting again, she gestured to the stuffed bear. "Benishi-sama? Will you allow me to look at your injuries? I am a miko, and might be able to help."

The miniature koma looked her over blatantly with stubby arms crossed over his chest, then nodded once and climbed into her lap. "Very well. I will allow you to treat this Benishi's grievous cuts."

Sango sat again across the fire from Kagome and the strange youkai. Miroku remained standing, and even walked towards the fringes of the camp keeping his eyes, ears, and senses open to the forest bathed in the light of the waning day. Kagome watched him briefly, her thoughts on their errant hanyou companion for just a moment before she returned to the task at hand.

Assessing his rips, Kagome decided to begin from the top and work her way downwards, starting with that nasty tear between his little ears. "Excuse me Beni-sama, she murmured as she felt around his head, gauging how much of her dried herbs would be used to re-stuff him.

By the time she had worked her way to his furry torso, Miroku had returned, shaking his head once in answer to Sango's silent question. Shippou and Atai were playing a game of tag nearby, running around the small group and giggling. Kagome smiled at them, glad to hear the girl make noise again.

After a moment more of silence amoung the adults, Sango spoke up, watching the komayoukai from across the fire. "If you don't mind me asking, Benishi-sama, are you a lord? I've never seen a, excuse the phrase, stuffed bear demon before, and the way you speak would indicate those of high birth."

Miroku nodded his head in agreement. "You speak like Sesshoumaru-sama."

Benishi looked up from his examination of the work Kagome had done on one of his paws and blinked at the two humans across from him. After a moment, he nodded. "This Benishi is Lord of the Eastern Lands. Or rather, I was until my mate was killed and this curse placed upon me."

Kagome sucked in a breath and shot a glance at her other companions. 'Could have it been Naraku's work?' was the question in her eyes. Miroku and Sango shrugged. Possibly.

The Lord of the East ignored them, watching Shippou entertain his ward with foxfire tricks and his kitsune magic toys for a moment before continuing. "I still hold sway over my lands, but since this form isn't exactly the best for enforcing, my son is ruling in my stead until I can remove this curse and regain my power."

He paused, then looked at the three adults from his space beside Kagome. She was working on the last tear on the bottom of one foot. She had done a wonderful job, and the little bear felt better than he had in years. Remembering something Miroku had said, however, he gazed solidly at all of them. "You've heard of the Lord of the Western Lands, though? Of course you have, since you're in his domain right now. But…you speak as though he has graced you with his presence before. I was of the impression that those he chose to speak to were either other taiyoukai or ended up dead."

Miroku and Sango stood, grasped their weapons and looked around, as if the inutaiyoukai himself would step from the woods at any moment. Benishi looked at them incredulously. "You didn't know? You seriously didn't know you were in his lands? I bet he's coming to see what the disturbance is, what with all the purifying flares and foxfire. I can tell you, your killing that inu won't go unnoticed."

Kagome smiled at him wanly, then stood, and gathered the children to her side. It was at this moment that Miroku took advantage of the taijiya's distraction to place his hand strategically on certain parts of her anatomy. The ensuing scream of "HENTAI!" and familiar crack of bone against unforgiving bone must have been heard throughout half the forest. The koma swung his black gaze to where the Sango stood over Miroku and immediately bowed. He was pleased to see the miko and children follow soon after, though he had to suppress a smile at the muttered "Speak of the devil…" from the enchanting female beside him.

Sango stiffened and turned slowly to see who they were bowing at. There, standing in the fading light of dusk at the edge of their campsite, was The Lord of the West, Sesshoumaru, in all his glory. One fine silver brow raised as Sango hurried to bow as well, backing away from the lord while dragging her monk companion with her.

The taiyoukai let his gaze fall over the entire group before settling on the miko across the fire from him. When he inclined his head only slightly, the group rose from their bows to face the hard gaze of Sesshoumaru. Kagome kept her eyes down and resisted the urge to gather Shippou and Atai closer.

"Miko." The command was harsh and she raised her eyes to meet those of the inu before her, fighting to not rebel against the use of a title and not her name. 'He probably doesn't even know it.'

He continued, staring coldly at her. "Where is my half-brother?"

Kagome hesitated a moment before she spoke. "We do not know, Sesshoumaru-sama. He left yesterday evening and has not returned since."

He nodded once, as if confirming something he already knew. With a gesture of his one hand, Jaken stepped forward and laid a cloth-wrapped bundle at her feet. The size and shape were all too familiar to the girl from the future, but she dared not believe that's what it was.

"Open it."

Again the harsh command as she kneeled gracefully to the package and unwrapped it with faintly shaking hands. Once the covering was gone, she sighed almost imperceptibly and lowered her gaze to her lap where she folded her hands. The now awake, if in pain, Miroku and a still slightly peeved Sango stepped forward to see what it was that their friend had been given.

There, on the ground, lay the Tetsusaiga in all its rusted and unkempt glory.


End file.
